We want you... to write for us in 2023.

To Those Who Live Alone – Issue 2

As unfortunate as it is, flatting isn’t for everyone. A harsh truth some may delight in. Consequent to this truth, this leaves many to dream of a life outside of flatting. A life, I dare say, of one living alone.

 

This isn’t a radical idea for both introverts or extroverts. It’s rather common. Historical records show that the rise of living alone started in earl-industrialized countries. Single-person households which were rare a century ago are now new and bustling as a new birth and new growth. You could even coin it as the Housing Renaissance. 

 

If you like to spend most of the time to yourself then let’s not forget it comes at a cost. Your wallet will start trembling as soon as you look at the rental prices on trade me:

 

A one-room, one bathroom set up with power and internet included is roughly priced at $270 per week. 

 

That price is not exactly student friendly but maybe you’re a part-time student with work under their belts. Then, of course, you have to tally in your groceries. And with a Waikato appetite, your expenses may not look any better. 

 

But I am not here to throw a high price, a semi-blurb, and leave you with no hope in the future. It goes back to the fact that some of you long for a life that doesn’t include unclean mugs left by your flatmates, rowdy neighbours that like to hiss, and a toilet seat left upwards after going number 2. And if so, when you consider it, the price is the ultimate sacrifice for comfort.

 

Picture this. You wake to your own circadian rhythm. Not the noises of your neighbours, not the sounds of your flatmate’s footsteps down the corridor, just you and your body clock rhythm. You get up and open your curtains. It’s a new day and a day full of possibilities, which again, consists of you being alone. 

 

Maybe you don’t like that scenario and want something a little different. You’ve just moved to a mini dilapidated cottage. It’s on the outskirts of Hamilton and to the city folks, it would be considered rural living. You like the rural living, even more so now you get to live alone. That cost is high yet again but that doesn’t stop you from playing your alternative music as you bake some savoury scones. It’s worth it and you know it. 

 

To those who live alone, I know others don’t quite understand you. You proclaim you want to live alone and you are met with a what and why. Aren’t you missing out on your social life? A question which you don’t have to reply because you should really be in your one-person setup reaping the benefits of an internet included rent. You’re different. You’re a dreamer. And if you don’t end up living alone you can still keep that dream alive which a quick trade me search on one person rental properties. The world needs more people like you, keep it alive. 

More Stories
— a message to my parents